York County’s School Board just voted this morning 5-2 to support the county’s amendment to the Octapharma FILOT which would essentially change the 3-way split of taxes between the City of Rock Hill, Rock Hill Schools, and York County to just a 2-way split between Rock Hill Schools and York County.

This Swiss pharmaceutical giant aims to build on Rock Hill’s former Panther site. The project would create 1,500 new jobs for our region and an overall $1.5 billion investment.

This morning’s vote creates fresh drama, given that the 5-2 vote simply affirms the county’s change that the City of Rock Hill is calling unlawful. The amendment takes $43 million away from the City of Rock hill over 30 years, and it would send $40 million extra to schools over that time frame.

Christi Cox rushed the final county meeting last week to force the amendment. She changed the location at the last minute. Chaos erupted during the session. Councilman Tom Audette proposed a fair compromise. It gave schools even more money while protecting the city split. Cox’s allies rejected it 4-3.

The city’s attorney fired a strong warning last week. Paul W. Dillingham called the change unlawful. He said it violates Rock Hill’s prior resolution. That resolution required the city’s proportional share. Breaking it voids the city’s consent immediately.

The multi-county park needs Rock Hill’s approval. Without it, special tax breaks disappear. A separate Panthers-era agreement may also block incentives. The city holds key consent rights there too.

This fiasco reveals Cox’s troubling leadership pattern. She championed the Panthers headquarters early on. Her public blame game with Rock Hill helped sink it. She ignored a unanimous 5-0 zoning ruling against Silfab Solar. Permits issued anyway near Flint Hill Elementary. Hazardous chemicals and spills followed. Residents still worry about safety.

Transparency problems compound the damage. Cox canceled multiple meetings with Rock Hill Mayor John Gettys. Collaboration gave way to confrontation under her watch.

The stakes could not be higher. Failure means losing $1.5 billion in investment. York County forfeits 1,200 high-paying jobs. Schools, roads, and services face decades of lost revenue.

Rock Hill City Council will now hold the next vote on the Octapharma deal – a vote that could finalize or kill the deal entirely.

Last night, a rushed meeting was held for a third and final reading of the long-awaited Octapharma (Project Palmetto Rock) FILOT agreement, and the decisions made during the meeting may have just tanked the entire project.

The 3rd and final reading was long scheduled to take place on July 13th, but in an unprecedented move, Chairwoman Christi Cox decided to rush the last meeting and change locations last-minute.

The meeting quickly devolved into a chaotic power play that has left many residents questioning whether personal grudges are now driving major economic decisions in York County.

What Happened Last Night

During last night’s meeting, an amendment that redirects 100% of the City of Rock Hill’s share of the tax revenue from the $1.5 billion project to the Rock Hill School District passed 4-3.

This came after the City of Rock Hill had already passed a prior resolution, saying that they would not accept such a change.

During the meeting, Councilman Tom Audette offered a compromise amendment that the City had reportedly already agreed to — which would have given the schools even more money ($238 million total over the life of the deal) while preserving a fair split. That amendment was rejected.

The result? The project now sits in serious jeopardy, with the City of Rock Hill likely to reject the amended agreement.

The Broader Pattern Under Chairwoman Cox

This wasn’t an isolated incident. Under Christi Cox’s leadership, York County has seen a troubling pattern of decisions that prioritize personal or political conflicts over practical outcomes:

• The Panthers HQ Collapse — Cox was a very vocal supporter early on, but became one of the loudest proponents of helping the Panthers when cracks started to form in 2022. Many believe her repeated public finger-pointing between the county and city accelerated the project’s death.
• Silfab Solar Controversy — One of the most alarming examples involves the Silfab Solar manufacturing plant. Despite the Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) ruling 5-0 in May 2024 that Silfab’s operations are not allowed in their Light Industrial district, Cox and her county staff ignored the ruling and the zoning code and started issuing permits to Silfab to build unlawful factory beginning in the summer of 2024. Internal records show permits were back-dated, and a Certificate of Occupancy was issued without zoning compliance. The facility, located yards from Flint Hill Elementary School, contains massive amounts of hazardous chemicals (including hydrofluoric acid and explosive silane). Multiple chemical spills and worker medical emergencies have been reported, including a potassium hydroxide spill into a retention pond bordering the school.
• Repeated Transparency Issues — Multiple sources say Cox has canceled several scheduled meetings with Rock Hill Mayor John Gettys aimed at resetting county-city relations.

The Human Cost

If the Octapharma deal collapses, York County stands to lose:

• $1.5 Billion in investment
• 1,200+ high-paying jobs
• Decades of tax revenue that could have helped schools, roads, and services

Instead of working collaboratively with Rock Hill to close the deal, last night’s rushed amendment appears designed to force the city into a corner.

The ball is now in Rock Hill City Council’s court. But the damage to York County’s reputation with major employers may already be done.